The Boys Next Door
by Beloved Kitten
Summary: Fouryearold Ichigo has always been the only child in the neighbor hood. But when Ryou and Masaya move right next door to her. She finds herself getting into more than just two new playmates. But a war between two boys and her in the middle.
1. I was alwaysalone

Hi, I don't know how I came up with this idea, but I did it because no one else has yet. I just think everyone is sort of wearing out the new mew and Masaya cheating thing. So I decided to come up with something a little fresh. Not totally but a little.

**_The Boys Next Door_**

_**By: Beloved Kitten**_

**_Chapter One: I was always….alone_**

Ichigo sat on the stoop bouncing a ball against the pavement. Her sterling silver bracelet jiggled with the motion of her hands as the charms hit against each other.

_I'd always been alone…I was used to being alone_

"She can't go on like this. Always by herself." Her mom always said. Ichigo bounced the ball.

_I was always alone…_

"There aren't any other kids for her to play with." Her dad always said. She bounced the ball.

_I was used to being alone…_

Then out of now where a moving truck pulled into the drive way next to the house of which Ichigo played with her ball. Her head turned towards it as she continued to bounce the ball. A van pulled in next to the truck and step out a family of three. Still the ball moved between the pavement and her hand. A boy with dark hair stepped out the car.

Ichigo stopped the ball…He was her age; with a smile on his face, as bright as the sun that beamed heavily on her. She watched his smile. A sound came from the opposite side. She turned her head to face it. Her hair swishing with the sudden movement. Another truck had pulled in at the vacant house at the other side of them. A richer family stepped out the car. She stared… A boy with blond hair stood beside his parents. He was a little older…Her ball rolled down the driveway. Her bracelet jingled.

_Suddenly…I was no longer alone…_

_I wasn't used…to not being alone…_


	2. I wasn't usedto not being alone

_**The Boys Next Door**_

_**Chapter Two:**_

_**I wasn't used…to not being alone**_

Ichigo watched as they each moved in. She standing on the stoop…watching. The boys often walked in and out of their houses. One would idle the grass… the other would fiddle with objects; creating things.

_I was no longer alone…_

"She had someone to play with" He mom now said.

The dark haired boy walked up to her; smiling.

"We no longer need worry." He dad now said.

Her eyes widened.

_I wasn't used…_

He held out his hand.

"My name is Masaya. What's yours?"

She stared at his hand.

"Mine is Ichigo." She said shyly.

He smiled…She stared.

…_To not being alone…_


	3. Just plain weird

Sorry about the first two chapters being so short but it was just a prologue. I just didn't feel like saying. But don't worry the rest aren't supposed to be short.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

_**The Boys Next Door**_

_**Chapter Three: Just weird **_

Ichigo swung the door open and rushed inside the house. Using her small hands to slam the door close again. Scrambling over baskets of magazines and pillows sprawled on the warm cream carpet she sat on her knees at the bay window, her chin and hands against the vanilla cushion of the widow seat. Her mother turned and eyed her daughter as the magazines slid from their neatly arranged piles and spilled across the floor.

"What's wrong Ichigo? Aren't you going to play with your new friends?" She asked her daughter over the low wall the separated the kitchen from the living room. Ichigo just sat there and stared out the window. The tips of her reddish pink hair brushing against the back of her hands.

"Ichigo." Ichigo sprung her head up and gazed bewildered for a moment at her mother. Mrs. Momomiya raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you? I thought you were playing." Ichigo made a sour face and turned back to look out the bay window.

"I don't want to play with them. They're weird." She said disdainfully.

"Ichigo!" Scolded her mother. She turned back to look at her. "Don't call people weird. That's very rude of you!"

"But they are weird! They keep fighting and one won't stop smiling and the other makes me feel dumb and stupid. Like I'm nothing but a little baby." Mrs. Momomiya sighed.

"Well Ichigo you are a child and you do act some what like a baby at times." Ichigo's nose slightly wrinkled as she glared at her mother.

"I don't act like a baby! And I'm not a child I start school in a year!" Mrs. Momomiya shook her head. Ichigo turned back towards the window, sinking her chin in to the cushion. She watched as the two boys out side continued with the argument over who scared her off. She tilted her head slightly to the side as she watched.

_They are both kind of cute_, she thought to herself. She then rested her head on her hands as the sun shinned heavily above them. The two new kids still drawn intently into their argument.

_Maybe I'll go out and talk to them later_, thought Ichigo with a small smile. _At least now I have someone to play with. _

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A gush of water splashed into Ichigo's face. She gasped for breath as it flowed around her, using her arms in an attempt to block the water. When it died down she was drenched in water. Hair dripping wet, sticking thickly to her forehead. And a dark look on her delicate face. Masaya's jaw dropped as he held the hose down and looked worriedly at Ichigo. Ryou had his arms crossed and was doing his best to hold back a laugh.

Just a second ago Masaya had grabbed hold of the water hose that extended from Ichigo's house. He was attempting to strike down Ryou but the instant the water gushed through he lost control of it and whirled around. Hammering the just entering Ichigo from her front door.

"What's wrong with you guys!" she yelled as her clothing slightly hung off her. Masaya dropped the hose and stepped back.

"Sorry Ichigo. I didn't mean to." He said waving his arms in the air. She let out a loud frustrated sigh and turned to re-enter her house. When the door had closed shut Ryou flashed a broad smirk at Masaya Aoyama.

"Wow, Masaya. You really showed me. I never knew you could handle a hose so well." Masaya glared at the six-year-old Ryou as he began to laugh. Then he turned and headed back towards his own house.

Inside Ichigo clumsily walked into the kitchen. Her shoes making a loud squashing noise as she walked. Hearing this Mrs. Momomiya turned to face her drenched daughter who's face was partly counseled by her sopping hair. Mrs. Momomiya gasped and rushed over to her daughter.

"What happened?" she asked as she pulled a small towel from the pocket of her apron and started dabbing Ichigo's face. Ichigo reached up and separated the bangs away from her eyes like curtains and glared at her mother.

"It's your fault. If you hadn't told me to go back out side it would have never happened." Then she pulled herself away from her mother and turned her back to her as she promptly walked out of the kitchen. The squashing sound of her shoes accompanying her as she headed towards the bathroom.

Mrs. Momomiya sighed deeply and looked at the trail of water her daughter had left behead. She took the towel and started drying it up. Wondering all the while if Ichigo would ever get used to having friends.

In the bathroom down the hall Ichigo grabbed hold of the small white stool by the door and pulled it into the darkened bathroom. She pressed it against the sink cabinet and climbed onto it. Reaching up and flicking on the lights. Her nose came right over the counter top to the sink. She looked emptily at her reflection as the bottom of her button nose pressed down on the counter. She then began to take off her soppy clothes.

When Ichigo's father was walking down the hall he noticed the bathroom door closed and went up and knocked.

"Hello! Anyone in there?" he knocked a second time and the door swung open. He looked down to find a small Ichigo glaring up at him a towel was lop-sided rapped around her head and she held a towel around her that was three times too big. She then pushed past him and stared towards her room calling back.

"Don't look! I'm not dressed!" And continued trotting down the hall. Her father looking confused as she slammed the door to her room behind her.

Ichigo didn't come outside for the next two days. When she finally got sick of looking at peach colored walls she took her ball from its spot in the toy box and headed outside. Not caring if they were there are not she wasn't going to let them keep her from playing. She walked around the house to their driveway and stared at the garage. She then took her pink ball with the red and white strips and started bouncing it against the garage door. As she pounded the door with her ball yelling came from the opposite side. She turned to face it as she continued to bounce the ball. It came closer and she realized it was someone yelling. She then frowned as Masaya came around from behind her house holding his head. He was yelling at Ryou who held a remote control in his hands and a blazing red jet plane flew through the air. Whizzing in and around Masaya's head.

_They're here._

Masaya turned to face Ryou.

"Stop it Ryou! Oww!" The jet had just hit him in the ear with one of its wings. Ryou had a devious grin on his face.

"You should have stayed way from my stuff then."

"I wasn't anywhere near your stuff! How was I supposed to know that you stashed most of your things in the garage?"

"Then way where you even near my house?" The jet turned and headed back towards Masaya, but he was backing up towards where Ichigo was bouncing her ball.

"Eek," she screeched as the jet zoomed right past Masaya and went right for her. The ball bounced off the garaged door and hit her in the face. Knocking her to the ground just as the jet swooped by. For the first time the boys had noticed Ichigo and Ryou turned off his plane. As Masaya rushed over to Ichigo's side.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he attempted to hold her up. She pulled her arm away from him and stared at the garage door as her face boiled up into a frightening red almost matching the color of her hair. Ryou could practically see the steam rising from her ears. She jumped up and stared at the ground. Dirt was on the back of her light pink shorts and her white tank top. She then turned and stomped off leaving her ball behind. As she turned behind her house and headed towards the park. Masaya glared at Ryou.

"See you made her run off again. Just like the first time!" He yelled. Ryou looked at him with an empty expression.

"I didn't do anything to scare her off. How could a light bulb powered by a potato scare her off? It was probably just your freakishly bight smile that your always flashing at her that scared her." Masaya's face contorted into a scowl as Ryou picked up Ichigo's ball and walked past him towards the park.

End of Chapter Three: Just plain weird – _**Beloved Kitten**_


	4. I could live with them

_**The Boys Next Door**_

_**Chapter Four: I could live with them**_

The park was small and old. It had been built ages ago by the residence of the house before Ichigo and her family had moved in. It's metal slide and poles where rusted and the wood that created the ladder and plate form was decaying. The plastic seat to the swings had somehow tore and had holes in them. It's once black outer covering now dull with gray patches.

Ichigo had always come to this place in the past. She never had anything to do other than play with her ball and set on her acclaimed swing seat. The one with the gray spot that was shaped like a cat and the rusting chain that held the seat up spiraled around like its tail.

She didn't particularly like the park. It was small and had nothing but a slide, a jungle gem and two swings. But it was always a place for her to go when she was tired of the heat beating on her. For the park was sheltered by the canopies of the trees that bordered the woods behind the houses. To her…this was like her second home, but here she was alone.

Mrs. Momomiya held her arms as she looked out the kitchen window. She saw her daughter setting alone (as usual) at the park. It bothered her that Ichigo never had anyone to play with. All the neighbors were either old and their children had grown up or they were young with out the spark of desire to have them. They had thought numerous times if they should move someplace else but Ichigo had always rejected it. Saying that she was used to it. But it hurt Mrs. Momomiya to know that her daughter had gotten used to being alone. To not having anyone. She was a child and should be surrounded by kids her age. She should be able to have a real childhood with sleepovers, and parties, and playing with dolls in each others room.

With friend... But no. Ichigo had barley touched a thing in her room. Her toy box was full of toys yet none she ever touched. Only her ball that she played with endlessly as if she where lost in her own little world.

Mrs. Momomiya was filled with so much hope when the two new families had moved in and they both had a child about Ichigo's age. She thought it was finally a chance to get her daughter to act like a normal girl but it seemed that she wasn't used to the company and was pushing them away.

Ichigo's mother caught sight of the boy with blonde hair walking towards the park. He held her ball in his hands. She leaned over and pressed her face to the window. Wondering what was going on. The boy stopped in front of Ichigo and she slowly lifted her head. She couldn't tell if they were talking but the blond one handed her, her ball. She looked down at it for a moment then sat up and stood a few feet from him. She then _tossed_ him the ball! Mrs. Momomiya's face broke open into a bright smile. Ichigo had actually _tossed _the_ ball_ to another person! She wasn't playing by herself! Mrs. Momomiya was so happy that she leaped away from the window and started rummaging through the cabinets. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

When Ryou had come up to Ichigo handing her back her ball. She was a little surprised. She didn't show it. But she was. After setting there in silence for a moment she decided to get it over it and try. She stood up and stepped way from him. He portrayed no kind of emotion in his face with she found strange. The kids on TV always had something about them on there faces. To show anger, giddiness, shyness, or something. He showed nothing. Unlike the Masaya that always smiled at her. But Masaya and Ryou were cute. Ichigo almost smiled to herself as she thought about it. She then tossed Ryou the ball. He caught it and raised an eyebrow. She slightly smiled and he tossed her the ball back. When it came to her she looked at it for a moment. She had never had the ball come back to her with out throwing it against something. She then decided she liked it and threw the ball back at Ryou.

They continued this game as Ichigo became slowly more and more comfortable with another person. Her smile then grew bigger as Masaya all of a sudden showed up sanding a few feet away from them both. Ryou only slightly glanced at him. When the ball came back to Ichigo she tossed it towards Masaya. He barely caught it, and looked up at them bewildered.

"Toss it back to Ryou." She said. He then tossed it to Ryou and, Ryou tossed it to her who tossed it to Masaya. It was so different from throwing it against the wall or the ground that she actually began to like them.

_I could live with them_, she thought to herself.

End Chapter Four: I could live with them. I'll try to update it at least once a week – Beloved Kitten


	5. I have a choice to get along

Hay, well I haven't updated this story in over two weeks. And that's a little long for my taste. I prefer updating at least every other day or once a week. Well not much to say but thanks for all your lovely reviews. I appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

_**The Boys Next Door**_

_**Chapter Five:**_

_**I have a choice…to get along**_

Ichigo sat on the stoop to in front of her house. The sun was shining bright over head and thrashing her with waves of exhausting heat. It was like a light bulb that refused to burn out no matter how much she glared at it. Sipping on a pouch of CaprisSun she let the drowning noise the boys where making go in one ear and out the other as she lazily looked out into the street. Masaya and Ryou sat on the second step and had been bickering for the last three minuets.

She didn't remember how the fighting started nor why. But it sure was getting to her, along with this heat. She stood up and walked away from the boys down the driveway where she had last seen her ball. Ryou and Masaya were throwing what ever they could at each other.

"Maybe you should stop smiling. That would get her attention."

"Maybe you should try it out! I've never seen you do anything with that face of yours other than laugh at me!"

"Sorry, but I quite enjoy laughing at you."

"You know what!"

"What, Aoyama? Are you going to stop smiling? Because it's really creeping Ichigo out."

Masaya shot to his feet and looked down at Ryou with red cheeks. Ryou just looked at him with a smirk on his face as he watched Masaya's distress.

"Then maybe I should tell Ichigo." Masaya said with a smile crawling up his lips. Ryou's face darkened.

"Tell her what?"

"You know that…

Ryou shot to his feet and stood about a head taller than Masaya who was eager to spill the secret.

"Don't you dare?" Ryou's voice came out in a low hiss. Masaya just grinned away.

"Oh, I think she would be real interested to know that…

Ryou's mouth came open to retaliate when something came by and knocked Masaya in the face. Ryou's eyes widened slightly as the boy fell to his knees and started holding his nose. Then the force came back and struck Ryou right in the side of the head. He stumbled back a step and held his head as Masaya mumbled under his breath. Ryou turned and saw Ichigo in her hot pink shorts, white sandals, and rose pink tank top. Her charm bracelet hung loosely at her wrist. She had her hair pinned up in two pony tails on either side of her head with a red ribbon spotted with pink dots. The white and pink ball was on the ground in front of her. Her foot propped up on top of it, her hand at her waist.

"Stop it. You both act like my aunt and her husband." Ryou rubbed the side of his head as he mumbled to himself.

"Stupid girl." The ball stuck Ryou on the head again. He was starting to feel disoriented as his head spun slightly. He then shook his head and glared at Ichigo. The ball rolling slowing on the grass back to wards her. She bent over to pick it up, returning his glare.

"I heard that you jerk!"

Masaya was crouched down on the ground rumbling his nose. He then removed his hand and looked timidly at his hand to discover no blood. He then brightened a bit and stood up straight and held his nose again attempting to rub the pain from his sore flesh. Ryou glared at the both of them. Ichigo sighed.

"You two really need to get over yourselves. It's not like I have my whole day devoted just to you two."

"What are you trying to say? Do you just want to waltz around bouncing your little ball around?" Ryou snapped at her. She stood there for a moment watching him. Her face slowly glowing with a taint of fury. But she did well holding it back.

_I am used to…_

She turned away from them and tossed her ball over her head and started off. She walked down the driveway and turned down the street and headed towards the next block. The ball slowly making its way towards Ryou's feet as it rolled against the grass. He looked down at it as it stopped at his toe. Masaya frowned.

"You always have to ruin things don't you?" Ryou shot him a dark look.

"I wasn't the one almost wailing on the ground because I was hit by a girl and her fluffy pink ball."

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Ichigo turned up a driveway to a yellow house with an olive green tiled roof and shutters. She was looking at the ground her eyes focused off in thought. A neighbor watering his grass looked up from his business and looked curiously as a small figure with bright reddish pink hair made her way to the lime green painted door.

Ichigo stood by the door and looked about till she spotted what she was looking for she then moved back the white flower pot and lifted up the heavy golden rig that sat at its base. Ichigo held it in both of her little hands as she went up to the door and tapped it making a distinctive knocking sound.

_To being alone…_

The door came open and a head popped out. Covered in sparkling gray hair with fine white streaks that reminded Ichigo of snow. Her glasses where shaped like a half a circle and where brimmed in a dark purple with golden carvings. Her eyes were large, a soft shade of hazel. When she looked down and spotted the four-year-old girl at her door step her scarcely wrinkled face brightened into a heart warming smile.

"Ichigo, dear! Please come on in! I have a plate of freshly picked strawberries out on the table. I had a feeling you'd be coming over today." Ichigo nodded timidly as she stepped to the side of the women's dark green skirts. Her white blouse was one that she could see her mother wearing.

"Hello, Miss. Maya." Miss. Maya smiled her tender smile as she ushered Ichigo passed the cozy living room into a just as heavenly kitchen.

"Please, how many times have I told you to call me Maya." Ichigo frowned slightly. She thought it strange to call Miss. Maya, Maya. It was to awkward. Miss. Maya gracefully glided towards the table and scooped up a green bowl of strawberries.

"Let me freshly rinse these off for you."

Ichigo scrambled up onto one of the low set olive green chairs. Her nose came only to the table top. But she knew soon that Miss. Maya would bring a pillow to prop up underneath her. As she worked at the sink Ichigo looked around. She had been in here quite often and everything about her home was olive green, yellow, vanilla, and brownie brown. It was a cozy home that seemed to generate peace and something homely. Ichigo always enjoyed the look of Miss. Maya's house. It was filled with green netted blankets and cushions. With her yellow couches and vanilla bowls. Nothing in her home were out side of those four colors. Even everything Miss. Maya wore was only those earthly colors. As she returned to the table she placed the bowl in the center at the same time as scooting a vanilla heart shaped pillow beneath Ichigo that propped her up enough for at least her head to be clear above the table top. Miss. Maya lifted her long green skirt revealing soft brown leather boots as she took her seat beside Ichigo. She propped her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands as she leaned towards her. Her hazel eyes twinkling.

"So how are you dear?" Ichigo reached for a berry but only held it in her hands.

"I'm not used to not being alone." Ichigo said softly. Miss. Maya blinked a few times before she gave Ichigo another one of her tender grins.

"You mean the two new families that just moved in…and there boys." She shook her head softly. "You shouldn't worry, Ichigo." She said as she lifted a hand and pushed a lock of hair from her eyes.

"I don't see why you frit. Its just a couple of children. You can get to know what its like to have a friend…..but then." She leaned back in her seat placing her hands loosely in her lap. "I do know why you feel the way you do." Ichigo looked up from the table top and glanced towards Miss. Maya.

She was a beautiful woman with a thin figure and lovely eyes. If you looked at her just by her face you would think her young. The only thing that gave her away was her gray and white hair. But then at times her voice and spirit would divert you from it and you would think you young again. Ichigo felt comforted by her presence.

"I had a bit of a hard time when I was young too. But I was a lot older." She plopped a strawberry in her mouth and chewed on it for a moment before continuing. "But it was because I was new in town. I wasn't used to the city lights, and all the people. I was always a prairie girl and I quite enjoyed my old life….all the open plains……" She trailed off then looked up at Ichigo's chocolate eyes.

"Don't worry child you'll get used to it. Your mother has even told me that you've made friends with the boys. She worries about you." Miss. Maya tilted her head to the side watching her. Ichigo stared at the table top not blinking. She was lost in her own mind….the discomfort of it.

"Miss. Maya…I don't know how to be a friend. And they keep fighting all the time…"

"Are you bothered with their fighting?"

"No…it's just that…I don't know anything about them…I don't know why…it's so hard."

"What's so hard?" Ichigo finally broke her eyes away from the yellow wood of the table and up into the soft hazel colored eyes.

"I didn't think it would be this hard…to make friends." Miss. Maya smiled a sorrowed smile.

"Ichigo, it's not hard to make friends. It's just sometimes people don't know how to act around the other….their afraid it would make the other dislike them. And it seems to me that your only problem here is not you making friends – from what I've heard they were jumping at your feet just to play with you – but just that you aren't comfortable with it….with not…being so called alone." Ichigo frowned slightly.

"It's not like I want to be." Miss. Maya rose from her seat and bent over. She plucked the strawberry from Ichigo's hands and plopped it into her mouth. She smiled.

"Now chew Missy. I'm not going to give you a chance to step foot out this door before you eat some of my home grown strawberries. You know I grow them for you, you know." Ichigo couldn't help but grin and sink her teeth into the juicy berry. It was just the right taste. Just sweet. Just as perfect. She smiled as she chewed on it. Letting little dribbles of juice run down her chin. The strawberry was quite large and filled her mouth whole. Miss. Maya looked leveling at Ichigo watching as the girl ate away her troubles.

Well that was the fifth chapter. The next would be the official start of the war between the two boys. There are going to be about ten chapters. But if any of you reviewers out there have inspiration towards what I should do with the story please fill free – along with any dislikes- to say so in your reviews. Thank you – _**Beloved Kitten**_


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